There were so many causes behind political defection to which led to the split in the movement for freedom against the Old Sudan and one of those causes for defection within the SPLMparty was one ‘party domination’ in the South Sudan struggles excluding other parties full participation in leading people of South Sudan out of tribulations and struggles for independence. This one ‘party domination’ in the South Sudan struggles against the Old Sudan became the tangible issue of ‘1991 political defection’ from the mainstream South Sudan SPLM political party organization with arguments for ‘multi-party system’ participation in the struggle. As a result, engineer trained Dr. Riek Machar-teny pushed the so-called ‘hot button’trigger and ended up splitting from the SPLM political party in 1991 with his own Nuer ethnic group----to which led to insurgency fighting against SPLM party and to the whole movement as well seeking series of issues implemented before independence from the Old Sudan. He later formed the rivalpolitical organization in Nasir town, beyond Ayod County in Jonglei State—South Sudan, known as the ‘South Sudan Independence Movement(SSIM)’ political faction against the mainstream South Sudan political organizations SPLM-----Sudanese People Liberation Movement with its military wings and as well as with its humanitarian organization known as South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation(SSRR) formerly was known as SSRRA----Agency is taken off from the whole acronym since it is already humanitarian organization to which it was working in liason fashion with the United Nations organization.
This 1991 political defection can be stigmatized a ‘tribal line tension’ since the South Sudan Independence Movement (SSIM) leader Dr. Riek Machar-teny left with his own Nuer ethnic groupfrom river-lake Nilotic speaking to which they organized the three years: 1991-1993 insurgency against the SPLM party with rumor that he had a tie with Old Khartuom’s scoundrel, and/or rogue regime in getting ammunitions and other military artillery for his own insurgency armies. He later let out the Prisoners of War(POWs) and extracted them to his own insurgency against the mainstream South Sudan SPLM and of course, there were a lot of rivals to which later imprisoned in the bush since they did not agree with how struggles was being carried out. It included SPLM high ranking commanders such as the SPLM commander Arok Thon Arok from Kongor Payam district, Twic East County, SPLM commander Joseph Ouduk from Equatorial region, SPLM commander William Nyuon Bany from Ayod County, Jonglei State, SPLM commander Kuach Kaang from Upper Nile State, and SPLM commander Karibino Kwanyin Bol from Warrap State from Bhar el ghazal region. And there were a lot of other Prisoners of War (POWs) to which were held hostages and detained for number of years in the bush hoping that they will be questioned and let free after the end of the South Sudan political struggles against the Old Sudan. With this 1991 political defection organized, group of prisoners with their own bodyguards broke wrecky prisoning cells and left with the ‘1991 Nuer ethnic group insurgency’ to which they later organized a harsh insurgency fighting against the SPLM led troops hoping they will eventually dismantle and defeat the South Sudan SPLM troops with its leaderships and of course installed totally holistically new leadership which will resume fighting against the Old Sudan.
As it showcased in Anya-nya I 1956-1972 political power struggle within the South Sudan to who would lead the people out of tribulations and hardship best, repeated itself in the second uprising struggles (1983-2005) against the Old Sudan amongst the freedom fighters. Everyone else who sought political power within the SPLM ‘politi-buro’ fell into ‘the Akuot Atem dilemma’ to which he was the Anya-nya I veteran leader and had tried very hard to become top leader in the 1983 uprising, however he did not get and ended up in escaping for Nuer ethnic groups stronghold destinations, where he later perished without returning to the 1983-2005 struggles. This ‘slippery effect’ to which SPLM commander Akuot Atem from Nyuak Payam district, Twic East County, Jonglei State—South Sudan and also the Anya-nya I veteran, fell into, repeated itself again and ‘bunch’ of SPLM commanders like Arok Thon Arok, Karibino Kwanyin Bol, Joseph Ouduk, Kuach Kaang, and William Nyuon Bany faced hostaged and detained in the prison cells in the bush because of political power struggle to which everyone else across the ‘tribal line’ sought representation in the SPLM party, although the engineer by trained Dr. Riek Machar-teny was not held hostage and detained, if he had stayed longer in the SPLM political party, he would have been detained in the prison cell in the bush. He avoided this dilemma in organizing the 1991-1993 Nuer ethnic groups insurgency against the mainstream SPLM political party by stemming off from that political power struggles to which he was one of the top commanders within the SPLM political party.
Ascending in the SPLM leadership hub was ‘troublesome and hard’ to get since number of high commanding leaders sought promotions within SPLM ‘politi-buro’. It got harder since promotion to the top commanding needed people across every ‘tribal line’ to serve in the vested interests of SPLM chairman, Dr. John Garang Mabior and the leader of South Sudan struggles since its formation in 1983. Any promotion was not either jumbled or tossed, for probability of whoever gets heads or tails become promoted, however it was necessary that every ethnic groups got representations in the ‘leadership hub’ of SPLM political party since it was the only political party established thus far. As we know, there were three regional provinces in the South Sudan during the struggles against the Old Sudan including other three territories of Abyei, Nuba Mountain and Blue Nile. And when leadership promotion was done, every regional province: Upper Nile region, Equatorial region and Bhar el ghazal region and other three territories: Abyei, Nuba Mountain and Blue Nile needed consideration in the selection of leaders. As a result, many top commanders like Karibino Kwanyin Bol, William Nyuon Bany, Arok Thon Arok, Joseph Ouduk and Kuach Kaang got upset and obsessed because they did not get ‘top tier percentile’ positions within SPLM leadership hub they needed. They later began to serve arrogantly in contra to what SPLM chairman and the president of South Sudan during that time of struggles before they got independence from the Old Sudan. Almost all of those five top SPLM commanders: Karibino Kwanyin Bol, William Nyuon Bany, Arok Thon Arok, Joseph Ouduk, and Kuach Kaang got hostaged and detained in the prison cells until 1991-1993 when SSIM leader Dr. Riek Machar-teny broke into prison cells and freed them by absorbing them into his political faction referred to as ‘the South Sudan Independence Movement (SSIM)’ and subsequently posed a harsh insurgency fighting against the mainstream SPLM political organization thinking they will eventually defeat whole system with its ‘iron curtain’ to which they thought was corrupted and dysfunctional especially in the leadership hub, where it sought renewing and reformation for better leadership as Dr. Riek Machar-teny with British citizen wife, Emma thought and envisioned.
Political correctness played a big part in the 1991-1993 political defection from the mainstream SPLM political organization. SSIM leader Dr. Riek Machar-teny did not think that SPLM acronym was better put together and conjoined since it was too broad and too verbatim in getting the message of struggles and formation of the South Sudan Independence Movement (SSIM) was necessary to correct and replace the SPLM political organization to which he saw was fighting for the people of whole Sudan to which he thought it was not specific enough to define ‘the scope and endgames’ for struggles, especially the independence of South Sudan from the Old Sudan. This ‘political correctness’ manifested itself today when South Sudan voted overwhelming in January 9th, 2011 referendum forindependence and soverenity for nation-building of South Sudan. Whereas the leader and chairman of SPLM Dr. John Garang Mabior thought that he was fighting for freedom of South Sudanese people including, especially the ‘marginalized of marginalized people’ of Sudan as he famously phrased, were revolted against the Old Sudan. SPLM leader Dr. John Garang Mabior did not think that he was too vague, too verbose and too broad in the frameworks of his struggles as well as with the SPLM acronym itself to which he thought he will someday capture the whole Sudan with ‘iron fist’ including the people of National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which were primarily from the North Sudan, but were politically excluded from Old Sudan government in the participation and with his SPLM political organization he had a tendency to draw them to his side. Getting specific will not help in uniting people of the Sudan, especially the riparian people of South Sudan as well as the marginalized and excluded people from the North Sudan, although they did not involve physically in the South Sudan struggles they were behind the scenery of South Sudan struggles against the Old Sudan. And getting specific would disassociate them from politically and diplomatically supporting the South Sudan struggles and would begin to align themselves with rival Old Sudan. You can also look at the today South Sudan’s national flag, especially the ‘golden star’ framed with the triangular blue; it was a ‘red’ star before, but subsequently got a political pressure from the United States government to change that ‘red’ star with ‘golden star’ since the Cold War was ended. I do not know much about what went wrong; however you can make your own research about the ‘golden star’ featured in the South Sudan’s national flag with other tons of political correctness amongst political opponents in diaspora and within the South Sudan.
As Abel Alier Kwai emphasized and wrote that ‘too many agreements, dishonored’ and of course, he was literally reiterating the so ‘many accords’ signed with Old Khartoum, but he was not specifically referring to what went wrong within the SPLM political organization in the 1991-1993, however he had made a point since many South Sudanese politicians were so bombarded by situations and one of them, is ‘1991 Nuer ethnic group defection’ from the struggles against the Old Sudan to which the rival engineered trained Dr. Riek Machar-teny, was dissuaded with premises and frameworks surrounding the SPLM political organization’s platforms. He was dissuaded and sparked out in defections in 1991-1993 to which he subsequently formed his political factions which met what he envisioned rather than compromising with SPLM political organizations. It could literally be stigmatizd as a disagreement among South Sudanese freedom fighters since one of them, especially SPLM chairman and leader Dr. John Garang Mabior was fighting for ‘freedom and unity’ of the country and on one hand, the SSIM political faction leader of defected Nuer ethnic groups, Dr. Riek Machar-teny ‘sought an independent South Sudan’ and leave out the Old Sudan to itself, although both rival South Sudanese leaders had agreed on the substances.
This stressed disagreements amongst SPLM and SSIM leaders outbursted into rapture of ‘pessimisticism’ to which one rival ‘sought an independent South Sudan’ instead of resolving the economies differences between the two countries: South Sudan and Old Sudan. Rival faction leader of the SSIM political partyto the SPLM political organization did not believe that there will be a foreseeable ‘unity’ of South Sudan and Old Sudan. Dr. Riek Machar-teny, the leader of SSIM political faction was so ‘pessimistic’ about uniting the whole country in the framework of Government of National Unity (GONU) and keeps both countries: South Sudan and Old Sudan separate sovereign entities to one another in the six protocols: wealth sharings, autonomous sovereign nations, Abyei territory with defined border demarcations, power sharing dividends under six years term for general referendum, Abyei separate referendum for secession, Nuba Mountains territory, and Blue Nile territory with referenda. He did not think that premise must be achievedand be implemented since it is too costly, and too broad with indetermined behavior of Old Sudan to which Abel Alier Kwai reiterated and emphasized that Old Sudan had signed so many ‘accords’, however they had dishonored without implementations. For instance, 1972 Addis-abbas agreement, was round-tabled with Old Sudan to end the problem of both South Sudan and Old Sudan’s sovereign entities, but theydeliberately signed it and subsequently it was‘dishonored’ sincethey had refused to implement the discussed and agreed protocols for co-existence and self-governing.
It was a ‘political defection’ to which Nuer ethnic groups with ‘bunch’ of political Prisoners of Wars (POWs), especially top people from high commands within the SPLM political organization splited from the SPLM party and entouraged the rival faction party, the SSIM and of course, this defection had done a totally mess to the struggles and as well as to residences of South Sudan. ‘Damages’ included properties like blankets, cooking wares, sleeping beds, clothings, wearing shoes, canoes and boats, fishing nets, mosquitos nets, swift shops, small restruarants, number of vehicles, motor cycles, bicycles, clinics and dispensaries, animal clinics referred to as the veterinary clinics, standing mortars (used to ‘reduce grains into powder and flour with pestle’)---referred to in Dinka language as ‘doong’ e hoat’, livestock barns known as lwaak in Dinka language, sleeping huts and brick built houses, physical infrastructure, the roads, compounds, wiring and wood fences, field of sorghums and of corns for some people who were residing adjacent to the basin of river Nile, power generators for elecitricity in some areas the Bor South County and Twic East Couty and Duk County, Jonglei State, South Sudan in the Upper Nile region, wooden tables, lamps for dime light in the regular houses especially in some towns in those three Counties: Twic East County, Duk County and Bor South County, sitting chairs and stools, cupboards, constructed schools’ buildings, running water generators with water tanks and /or water containers, water pumps, boreholes and wells, and livestocks including herds of sheeps and flock of goats, flock of chicken, hand-full of ducks and of tamed pigeons to which they were looted and pundered after residential people of Twic East County, Duk County and Bor South County had escaped their lives for riparian river Nile basins for short-term hiding until problems was resolved in 1993 when SPLM political organization decided to fight counter-insurgency against the Nuer ethnic groups with groups of political prisoners of wars and of course mitigated the problems caused and kept them away from returning back to those affected Counties: Twic East County, Bor South County and Duk County.
Before 1991-1993 Nuer ethnic groups’ defections from the mainstream SPLM political organization was averted, tons of people’s lives were lost within Twic East County, Duk County, and Bor South County in Jonglei State, South Sudan. Anyone that perished either by starvation strike, pandemic diseases, and gun shot wounds without clinics and dispensary tents and nurses and medical doctors to care for them, were counted toward Nuer ethnic group insurgency. Without this insurgency, they would have been counted toward Old Sudan militia and mercenary armies’s ‘iron fist’. There are a lot of renowned people that had perished during this insurgency and my great grand-father Bior Aguer Bior-kweigak with nicknamed ‘Anyarpiei’ was killed by the Nuer ethnic groups insurgency in Twic East County, Jonglei State, South Sudan. He was popular person within the County and beyond. Even Dr. John Garang Mabior whose mother Gak Malwal Kuol is from Kongor Payam paid a tribute visit and it was because of his famous phrase which referred to as ‘muok e thien’ with literally meaning ‘stays in the foot’ without drawing back from what you set forth to accomplish. This phrase is commonly used and it is much similar to other wisdom phrase like ‘speaks softly, but carries a big stick’ coined by the ‘Cold War’ America president Teddy Roosevelt. This phrase is not similar, however it meant something different. Other person who was killed by Nuer, especially in the different clashes, was former Kongor chief, Duot Bior-kweigak from Twic East County, Jonglei State, South Sudan when number of cattles were rustled by Nuer ethnic groups to which most of Kongor Payam district’ livestocks including ‘Ayeen e ke Duot Bior-kweigak’ with literally meaning best cows among his cattle were taken that deadly clashes with Nuer ethnic groups’ cattle rustlers---basically he must not have been happy about that rustling of those ‘best cows’ among his herd of cattle with rest of payam district livestock if he were alive. Losing a figure person from Kongor is something ‘ironics’ and mythological to the hand of an enemy. After losing figure person from Kongor that tension still ended and it became ‘mythological’ to the people of Kongor Payam district. Going down the narrative history of South Sudan’s war with Old Sudan, Paramount Chief Ajang Duot Bior-kweigak was assassinated by the Old Sudan with rest of other Chiefs Jongak Deng Malwal and Monykwer Mabour escaped the assassination from Duk County and Bul Koch from Twic East County.
Of course, after mass killings, SPLM political organization and Chairman Dr. John Garang Mabior made his minds with ‘politi-buro’ thinktank to end the Nuer ethnic groups’ insurgency. Tons of SPLM troops were sent to fight the counter-insurgency against the rampant Nuer ethnic groups insurgency in the Bor South County, Twic East County and Duk County to which this insurgency with political prisoners of war who had beenextracted, were defeated and removed out of Panyagor town, since it was established as the stronghold place for its insurgency operations back to Ayod County and Nasir town were insurgency operations originated. Number of political prisoners of war including former SPLM commander Joseph Ouduk, former SPLM commander William Nyuon Bany, and former SPLM commander Kuach Kaang, who were extracted to the Nuer ethnic groups insurgency, although rest of other political prisoners of war like former SPLM Arok Thon Arok and former SPLM commander Karibino Kwanyin Bol later perished without seeing and witnessing the South Sudan referendum and independence from the Old Sudan. It became a mess and heart-breaking especially to their families and as well as to the SPLM political organizations since they had struggled with South Sudanese people in the first place before they were extracted to the Nuer ethnic groups’ insurgency. There is also a borehole in Panyagor town today dedicated to former SPLM commander Kuach Kaang from Upper Nile region and it was a phace where he was shot to death during the 1993 counter-insurgency fighting which lasted for minimum of more than two days since dawn since he was a great leader although he was misled to conjoin the Nuer ethnic groups’ insurgency. Of course, their cases must have been resettled and put back to their own commanding ranks. Alienating people’s lives was not the platforms and intentions for the SPLM political organization, however to achieve freedom and be sovereign nation after over two decades of fighting against the Old Sudan and internal insurgency were priorities. There are a lot of political rivals who did not ‘buy’ SPLM platforms and endgames. I would not mention them in the memoir for their privacy, but they are yet absorbed into the SPLM or must have joined a membership with other series of existing political parties like South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF) formerly known as the South Sudan Independence Movement (SSIM) in the South Sudan.
Counter-insurgency strategy included sowing of ‘clustered-bombs’ as the grand strategy for the endgame of Nuer ethnic insurgency in Twic East County, Duk County and Bor South County…..especially ‘clustered bombs’ and landmines were sowed around and in the surrounding areas of the Panyagor town with exception of Bor South County and Duk County, was put in place to deter Nuer ethnic group insurgency from coming with total backlash. None of civilians thought about how to fight both wars: Nuer ethnic groups insurgency and Old Sudan armies simultaneously with little man-power, but courages to stand up against them without draw back with determination for successand ‘hope’. After installing this counter-insurgency strategy sowing ‘clustered bombs and landmines’, saving lives were the priority, especially to those residences of Twic East County, Bor South County and Duk County since this Nuer ethnic groups insurgency against neighboring people were seen as the ‘complete betrayal and political propaganda’ which lied in the series of causes from the SPLM political organization.
As counter-insurgency fighting was put in place, the phase for reconstructions known in Dinka language as ‘Behr abaai piny’ literally sprung up since houses, livestocks and swift shops were burned down. And number of civilian returnees was so rampantback from their hiding spots like the riparian of river Nile basin and swampy areas to their respective areas for livings. With the help of United Nations(UN) organizations like World Food Programmme(WFP), GOAL, and International RescueCommittee (IRC), re-construction happened and was up a stump over the Twic East County, and Bor South County with exception of Duk County since it was still vulnerable and target for Nuer ethnic groups insurgency’s uncalculated backlash attacks. More and more houses, barns and orphanage centers were put up. I do clearly remember this section of 1991-1993 Nuer ethnic groups defection and later extended into the massive reconstructions in the area since Mach Mel, GOAL manager Garang Kwei Mel, Ameth Deng Wel and my father, Wuor Deng Joak with rest of tons of employees were working for GOALinternational humanitarian organization—Panyagor town that helps orphanage children whose families were killed and perished due to starvation strike and pandemic diseases. Of course, GOAL organization was found in 1977 from Ireland and you can find more details about this charity organization by going to its homepage: www.goal.ie. This GOAL organization had tremendously helped in reconstruction by building humongous compound for orphanage children, where they can ‘jump-start’ their basic primary education, and clothings and feeding were also provided until these orphanage children grew up under the care of this international humanitarian organization----number of them, especially both young men and women got marriage where they found their second home and new families. It was still working and operating until 1999 in Panyagor town when I flew for Kenya. And yet, GOAL organization still operating in South Sudan rather than basing only in Panyagor town, Twic East County, Jonglei State, South Sudan as it was used to. Other humanitarian organizations like World Food Programme (WFP), Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and International Rescue Committee (IRC) had gigantically boosted a reconstruction phase in Twic East County, Jonglei State----South Sudan after removal of 1991-1993 Nuer ethnic group insurgencies for peaceful co-existence. Tons of agricultural works were provided and distributed to the returnees so that they could start clearing their sorghum fields and corn fields as well besides food security and medications they received from World Food Programmme (WFP), Lutheran World Federations (LWF) and International Rescue Committee (IRC) humanitarian organizations. After three years interval of malnutritions, everyone gained weights with body building food aide they received from ration distribution centers within Panyagor town right after 1993 and until the time I left for Kenya. Even in the time of rainy seasons when airport was notmuch safer for landing for food aide supplies, they still come and dropped them food security from above skyline with low latitude flying. It was amazing works and I still remember World Food Programme(WFP) field manager John Pakahr screaming through the portable talkie short ranged radio literally known as ‘77’ in nominal figure directing food security supplies airplanes known as ‘boch’ in Dinka language. After low latitude flying to drop food aide supplies for humanitarian consumptions, number of World Food Programme (WFP) carrier employees (literally known in Dinka language as ‘Ataahn’) headed out for collection of recently dropped food aide supplies from above the skyline. Many people who recently returned from the hiding places, especially from riparian river Nile basins, supported their families in those entry level jobs like as I said my father was supporting us with service works he gave for GOAL international humanitarian organization and are the same things applied to rest of people who were working for other humanitarian organizations such as World Food Programme(WFP), Lutheran World Federations(LWF) and International Rescue Committees(IRC) supported their families from that physical works they gave apart from the rations they received in the monthly basis.
Just right reconstruction phase in Twic East County and in Bor South County with exception of Duk County since they terribly affected by 1991-1993 affected, engineer trained Dr. Riek Machar-teny and the leader of rival faction, the South Sudan Independence Movement (SSIM) agreed to see a sign peace pact with SPLM chairman Dr. John Garang Mabior in Nairobi, Kenya when South Sudan and Old Sudan were about to sign the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 in Naivasha, Kenya with coordination from the Internationa community and Inter-governmental Agency for Development(IGAD) in East Africa countries. This peace pact agreement is today referred to as ‘Nairobi agreement’ to which the mainsream South Sudan Liberation organization SPLM leader Dr. John Garang Mabior and 1991-1993 Nuer ethnic groups defections’ leader Dr. Riek Machar-teny got to final agreement for co-existence and united for the sake of South Sudanese freedom and sovereignity. You could see the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)documentation stipulated in the ‘six protocols’ with the six years term interval for referendum in January 9th, 2011. This Nairobi---Kenya agreement to calm down insurgency fighting and later transformed its original political faction into the South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF) from South Sudan Independence Movement (SSIM) is so monumental and important to the referendum peace dividend signed in January 9th, 2005. Of course, the former rival to the SPLM political organization has become a vice-president for South Sudan government, although he had made so much ‘ethnic cleansing’ killings, especially in the Bor South County, Twic East County and Duk County during 1991 to 1993 for political reasons.
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